Network Media Group Inc. and Network Entertainment Inc. are pleased to announce they have acquired the exclusive rights to produce a feature documentary on the life and enduring legacy of legendary pop-funk-rock star Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone. Production on the film has commenced with the filming of an exclusive interview with the traditionally reclusive Sly.

“In the annals of pop music, certain artists are more than just innovators and more than just icons. Certain artists are avatars – the manifestation of an idea,” said Network founder and C.E.O., Derik Murray. “For Sly Stone, that idea was to create a diverse band that embraced a kaleidoscope of musical and cultural styles that stand unparalleled to this day.”

“This collaboration with legendary artist Sly Stone will deliver an epic and important film in the history of popular music,” stated veteran television producer, music manager and Co-Executive Producer Ron Weisner. “After refusing the spotlight for decades, Sly has finally opened up to share his amazing story on camera about everything: life, love and music.”

Sly Stone’s long time representative and Co-Executive Producer, Robert Allan, added “Sly felt it was the right time for him to return to the spotlight and share his incredible journey with the world, and Sly is confident that Derik Murray and Network Entertainment are the best fit to artfully and respectfully tell his legendary story.”

Sly Stone will trace the musician’s journey from child prodigy to pop music revolutionary to one of music’s most colorful recluses. Classic performances, television interviews and an all-star cast of interviews will bolster the personal, professional and historical dimensions of this epic tale.

Cinematically shot with a distinct visual aesthetic, the feature-length documentary blends artful B-roll with meticulously sourced archival footage and photos, combined with a stunning soundtrack that includes a robust array of Sly’s iconic songs.

In collaboration with the Recording Academy™, “Great Performances” presents “GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends™”, the second annual all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for the Academy’s 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients. The celebration and tribute concert feature rare performances by honorees and renditions by those they’ve inspired.

The celebration, led by GRAMMY®-winning industry icon Paul Shaffer as musical director, was recorded in July at New York’s Beacon Theatre, and will air Friday, Oct. 13 from 9–11 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.) Historically held during GRAMMY® Week, this is the second time the Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone event and musical tribute.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award recognizes such contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by a vote of the Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of the Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees and ratified by the National Board of Trustees, and presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. Visit www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards for complete lists of previous recipients.

“Great Performances” is produced by THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. Throughout its more than 40-year history on public television, “Great Performances” has provided viewers across the country with an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming.

A production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, “GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends” is written by David Wild and directed for television by David Horn, with Mitch Owgang as producer, and Horn and Neil Portnow as executive producers. For “Great Performances,” Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer.

Visit “Great Performances” online at www.pbs.org/gperf for additional information and other programs.

About The Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees

A deeply spiritual and affecting gospel singer, Shirley Caesar’s emotive vocal talents were discovered in a church choir when she was 10 years old. She is arguably best known for her eight-year tenure with the Chicago-based gospel group the Caravans, whom she joined after appealing to Albertina Walker to sing a solo with the group. Electing to pursue a solo career in 1966 alongside her own choir, the Caesar Singers, she subsequently carved out a profile that earned her the title of First Lady of Gospel Music. Caesar’s roll call of achievements includes 11 GRAMMY Awards®, 14 Stellar awards, 15 Dove awards, an NAACP Image Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and two recent 59th GRAMMY nominations.

A prodigy who began playing piano at age 3, Ahmad Jamal started performing professionally at 14 and was signed to Okeh Records by age 21. Trained in both traditional jazz and European classical piano styles, Jamal has been labeled as a jazz innovator who helped pioneer “cool jazz,” which had a significant influence on Miles Davis, among others. With a catalog spanning seven decades, he is known for wonderful renditions of pieces such as “Poinciana” and “Dolphin Dance,” original compositions such as “Ahmad’s Blues,” the fantastic compilation Complete Live At The Spotlight Club 1958, and his most well-known album, 1958’s At The Pershing: But Not For Me.

Three-time GRAMMY winner Charley Pride taught himself to play guitar in his early teens, but he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. After playing in the Negro American League, he was signed by RCA Victor and in 1967 he became the first black singer to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. “Just Between You And Me” launched Pride to stardom, earning him his first GRAMMY nomination for 1966. In 1969 Pride scored his first No. 1 country hit with “All I Have To Offer You (Is Me).” Pride is considered the first black superstar in country music.

Jimmie Rodgers* is widely regarded as the Father of Country Music. In 1961 he became one of the first three people inducted into the Country Music `. In 1970 he was a part of the inaugural class of songwriters voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1986, the first year of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, he was inducted under the early influencers category. Rodgers has three recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame® — “Blue Yodel (T For Texas)” and “In The Jailhouse Now” (both from 1928) and “Blue Yodel #9 (Standing On The Corner)” (1930).

Dr. Nina Simone*, known as the High Priestess of Soul, was a child prodigy whose dreams of becoming a classical musician were deferred by the color of her skin. Her fearlessness and deep commitment to the civil rights movement gave birth to such classics as “Mississippi Goddam,” “Four Women” and “To Be Young, Gifted And Black.” Her approach to music was so versatile she labeled her style black classical. From R&B and rock to jazz, gospel, blues, folk, and Broadway, Simone brought her unique style to each genre. Her interpretations of “Feeling Good” and “Sinnerman” are classics that fans around the world still enjoy. Her version of “I Loves You, Porgy,” which became a Top 20 hit in 1959, was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2000.

Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart is an iconic American musician, songwriter and producer most famous for his role as frontman of Sly & The Family Stone. Classic hits penned by Stone, including “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” “Everyday People,” “Dance To The Music,” and “There’s A Riot Going On,” played a critical role in the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. Sly & The Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The group has four recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.

Despite a relatively brief lifespan and limited commercial success, the Velvet Underground are now recognized as one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Comprising Lou Reed*, John Cale, Sterling Morrison*, and Maureen “Moe” Tucker, the band was, perhaps, ahead of their time, both visually and sonically. Often dubbed the quintessential proto-punk band, they have been continually cited as the benchmark for countless modern-rock movements over the past 50 years. The Velvet Underground’s seminal 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008.

About The Trustees Award Honorees

Producer/arranger/songwriter Thom Bell was one of the cornerstones of the Philadelphia Soul legacy. He was a prime architect in the development of a ‘70s soul sound that moved beyond the grit of Southern soul and the effervescence of Motown by building complex and sophisticated arrangements around smooth strings, elegant horns and a driving rhythm that anticipated the rise of disco. With the Delfonics, the Stylistics, the Spinners and others, Bell established his trademark sound with sweet strings and muted brass led by the French horn. Hits such as “I’ll Be Around” and “Betcha By Golly, Wow” cemented his stature as one of the all-time great songwriter/producers, and his partnership with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff helped create the quintessential Sound of Philadelphia.

Mo Ostin is one of the greatest record executives in music history. While he started out at Verve, it was helming Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records where Ostin came into his own. With Reprise Records and ultimately Warner Bros., where he served as Chairman for 25 years, Ostin worked with the seminal artists of the generation such as Eric Clapton, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Prince, and Neil Young, while also developing a staff that was legendary in their own right. With an artist-friendly disposition, Ostin led with the idea that great art made great business — most of the bands signed under his watch made both critically acclaimed and profitable records. Ostin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and was honored with The Recording Academy’s President’s Merit Award at the 2006 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons®.

Ralph S. Peer* was a successful recording executive, archetypal A&R man and music publisher whose career spanned from 1919 to 1960. Through his work as a music executive, he continually broadened the palate of genres that music makers and audiences embraced. He was the executive producer of Mamie Smith’s ”Crazy Blues,” the first vocal blues recording, James P. Johnson’s “Carolina Shout,” considered by historians to be among the first jazz piano solo recordings, and Fiddlin’ John Carson’s “The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane,” the first country record released. He was the producer of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, considered the “Big Bang” of country music, where he discovered Jimmie Rodgers and the original Carter Family. He broadened his focus by publishing Latin music in the United States and around the globe. Fifty-nine recordings produced or published by Ralph S. Peer have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.

About The Technical GRAMMY Award Recipient

Alan Dower Blumlein* received 128 patents on his way to becoming one of the most significant audio inventors of his time. His most noteworthy patent was for the stereo in 1931, a development that was spurred by a visit to the cinema and being frustrated that the sound from a single speaker didn’t match with the actors and action on screen. He also invented the Blumlein Pair microphones, a stereo disc-cutting head and a shuffling circuit, among other audio inventions.